Day 5: Ueno (November 15th)

Matt, Jay, Troy, and I went to McDonalds for breakfast. Matt had work and Jay had final things to do before his flight back to America, so Troy and I would be on our own. Through-out the week with Jay as a guide, we learned how to navigate the trains and to use a suica pass. From Shinjuku, we took the Yamanote line to Ueno station.

Surprisingly the trains aren't that difficult

The weather was rainy and overcast through-out the day, so we decided to find something to do indoors. So we didn't visit the zoo on this day. We found the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno and decided to explore. It was a neat despite the limited english text on the exhibits. Our biggest obstacle was asking "shashin o tottemo ii desu ka?" (Roughly: Would it be good to take a picture?)

Outside of the museum

After the tour, I grabbed a snack from a vendor and a coffee from a vending machine. Something that I'm still getting used to in Japan is that they have a completely different system for trash and recycling. After the terrorist attack in 1995, Japan doesn't have any public trash cans, so everyone has to carry their trash until they get back to their residence. Troy and I wandered about Ueno Park, before heading back to Chofu.

We'll probably go another day

After returning to Chofu; Troy grabbed KFC and we walked around the local arcades. I met Matt at the station and we went to the nearby curry shop. When I got back to the apartment, I moved my futon into Jay's former room.

Vegetable Curry with Fried Chicken Cutlets

My futon

(15,000 Yen, roughly $150 USD)